WEDDING FLOWERS: Monaco
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Showing posts with label Monaco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Monaco. Show all posts

Sunday Tidbits for January 18: Birthday Portraits Galore and More

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It's double the birthday girls and a potential for a dash of royalty in an area near you (uh, if you live in very specific areas) in this week's batch of tidbits. Read on:

--A new portrait was released to celebrate Princess Michael of Kent's 70th birthday last week, featuring her cuddling her cat while sporting one of her tiaras (the Kent Festoon Tiara, which was worn to Queen Elizabeth II's coronation). We've reached peak Princess Michael, with just one image. [Hello US]

--And two new shots of the Countess of Wessex have also been released, in advance of her 50th birthday. Alas, they feature neither tiaras nor cats. [Countess of Wessex Blog]

--Are you anywhere near Sydney, Australia? You can see the Australian Wattle Brooch in person, lucky you. It's on loan to the Powerhouse Museum as part of a jewelry exhibit through April. [Powerhouse Museum, with thanks to commenter Kathy]

--Heads up, northern California: Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel are visiting you. They've already arrived, with Princess Estelle, but the visit officially runs Monday through Wednesday. They'll be in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. [Svenskdam]

--The International Circus Festival in Monaco is Princess Stephanie's big event each year, and it's been in full swing this week. Prince Albert gives it an awkward thumbs up. [Paris Match]

--This story about the Duchess of Cornwall sending a bouquet to a longtime royal watcher who missed Christmas at Sandringham is so sweet. [EDP24]

--The Japanese imperial family really loves their court dress this time of the year. They were back at it with the New Year's poetry reading this week. I'm so happy that Princess Kako was allowed something beyond the deeply unflattering hat that she got last time, I'll overlook the spread of glorified headband hats. [Imperial Family of Japan Blog, ANN News video]

--And finally, over at the Jewel Vault, I broke down the jewelry additions from the royal gift lists for 2014.
Royal Babies of the Day: January 8

Royal Babies of the Day: January 8

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Here's a little dose of awww to get you through the rest of the week:
Prince Albert and Princess Charlene officially presented their twins, Jacques and Gabriella, to Monaco's public with a balcony appearance at the palace yesterday.
Family members from both sides joined the proud parents from inside the palace, including Princess Caroline in a kicky leopard coat and Princess Stephanie without a scrunchie in sight (huzzah!).
You can click here for a gallery focusing on the princely couple and their twins, and here for a gallery with other family members.
Albert and Charlene also came down to greet the crowds, which (lucky for us) provided a proper glimpse at Charlene's outfit.
Très chic, no? A bespoke cashmere coat and jersey dress ensemble from Akris in winter white with light tan boots and long leather gloves is the perfect thing for a winter appearance on the Mediterranean. Very well played indeed.

Photos: Pascal Le Segretain and PLS Pool via Getty Images

Sunday Tidbits for January 4: The Holiday Greetings Roll On

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Queen Elizabeth II's annual Christmas broadcast is pretty well known around the world, but many of her sovereign colleagues have a similar speech to offer this time of the year. I've thrown several of them together in today's tidbits, because they're quite interesting in comparison. Just a snippet tells you something about that monarch, I think, from their levels of expression down to their choices of teleprompters and editing vs. none of that fancy business. Also included below are other greetings for the new year and random news bits, so read on...

--King Philippe does a version of his message for the season in each of Belgium's three official languages, and this year he started off with a tribute to the late Queen Fabiola. Here's an article with some highlights in English and a video. [Deredactie]
Deredactie video
The Belgian royal family also published some new family photos for the holiday:

--Queen Elizabeth II's Christmas message was covered at the Jewel Vault along with the jewels she wore to deliver it. Also covered over there in the past week was my annual round up of her year in jewels, where we recall what was new (a ton!) and count up what was worn most often (did you know that QEII wore close to 70 brooches this year? True story). [Jewel Vault]
British monarchy video

--Queen Margrethe II looked smashing in purple for her annual New Year's speech, and needless to say it delights me that both queens regnant opted for my favorite color. You can watch the speech here, or read the text in English here. And here's a gallery of her changing looks during this speech over the years, always a fun walk through time. [YouTube, Kongehuset, BT]
Kongehuset video

--Grand Duke Henri was one of many to make note of this year of commemoration in his Christmas speech. Here's video and English text. [Wort]
Wort video

--Prince Albert II highlighted the birth of the new twins in his New Year message, video below and English translation here. [YouTube, Royal Correspondent]


--King Willem-Alexander joined Queen Máxima's side of the family in Argentina for Christmas, while his speech played at home. Here's video, the full text, or an article in English. The family also posed for a pre-holiday photocall while in Argentina. [Het Koninklijk Huis and YouTube, Dutchnews.nl, NOS]
RVD/Frank van Beek

--King Harald V gets points from me for a New Year's Eve speech delivered in a tux, though reading note cards while standing does give me some unpleasant flashbacks to high school speech class. You can view the speech here, or read excerpts in English here. [Kongehuset YouTube, The Norway Post]
Kongehuset video

--King Carl XVI Gustaf is bit of a hand talker, compared to his colleagues, isn't he? Formulate your own deep thoughts on the matter by viewing his Christmas message or reading it (in Swedish) here. [Kungahuset]
SVT video
The family also released a new photo for the new year, taken last July. And the court recently confirmed that Princess Madeleine and her family have moved from New York City back to Sweden for the time being. [The Local]
Anna-Lena Ahlström / Kungahuset.se

--King Felipe VI's first Christmas message as king was a bit more political than most, dealing with some of the big issues on his plate right now (corruption, Catalonian separation). Made for an interesting contrast, the informal family photos displayed beside him and a serious message, I thought. You can see it here or read an article in English here. [CasarealTV YouTube, BBC]
CasarealTV video

--Emperor Akihito continues greeting the new year in Japan, joining the family to greet thousands of well-wishers at the Imperial Palace. Click here for pictures. The imperial couple also releases poems for the occasion. [Japan Today, Imperial Family of Japan blog]


--And finally, the Jordanian royal family sends us greetings for 2015 via social media, naturally. [Queen Rania Instagram]


Stay tuned for Monday, we have British business to attend to...

Year in Review: 2014's Honorable Mentions

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We've reached the end of our year in review series! We've covered the events, the tiaras, and the best outfits from each of our most frequently featured royal women. But our regular players aren't the only ones churning out great appearances, of course, and so today belongs to the other outfits worn this year that you just can't forget. A few of my favorite 2014 things...

Charlotte Casiraghi
Charlotte Casiraghi's partnership with Gucci is paying off in the sartorial stakes. This Gucci dress was sleek in all the right ways, with just a hint of metallic to set things off.

I'm a sucker for a good windowpane print and this Dior hits the spot. Add in a full skirt, and I'm well and truly done for - yes, the couture queen (couture sheikha) struck again this year.

Princess Beatrice
This one has all my favorites: bringing another designer into the royal mix (Nicholas Oakwell), a little full skirt, white, and colorful accessories (purple shoes, hello!). A winner all around for Beatrice.

Princess Haya
Someone has to bring the Eliza Doolittle flavor to Ascot each year. I'm pretty sure it's written right in the rules. And Haya did so in major fashion this year, instantly winning a spot on my best of the year list.

Hey, I did warn you about my love affair with the color white. I could go on, but we'll cap it there and turn it over to you:

What other sartorial moments will you remember from 2014?

Photos:  Richard Bord/Wire Image, Stuart C. Wilson, and Chris Jackson via Getty Images; Qatar News Agency/Style.com

Year in Review: 2014's Tiara Moments

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I'm in it for the tiaras, I think my stance on that is pretty clear. So it wouldn't be a Year in Review without a look at the tiara appearances we covered here and at the Jewel Vault in 2014 (and minus the ones that I forgot, because you know that's inevitable). You can click the links below or scroll through the posts on this blog by clicking here.

It won't surprise you to learn that I am officially crowning Máxima the Tiara Queen of 2014, with not only a large number of tiara events but also a large variety of tiaras worn for those events. Elsewhere, we saw a couple new pieces debuted, and a couple debuts of old pieces on new people. But perhaps the most important thing we saw in 2014 was the return of full state banquets (and thus tiaras) in Spain and Belgium, both countries having taken a few years off in the midst of economy and government problems. Grand returns ended up being the theme of my favorite tiara moments for the year.

January
The year started as it always does with glittering New Year's Court events in Denmark and Japan, giving us our yearly appearance of Mary's rubies, always a highlight in my book.

February
Tatiana Santo Domingo wore a fringe tiara for her religious wedding, although we didn't get a great look.

March
The Swedish royal court put out a new official photo of Crown Princess Victoria and the King, in which she sported her recent favorite, the Cut Steel Tiara. Princess Marie wore her new tiara for the first time for an official dinner, a piece we've been waiting to see in use since 2011. Tiaras came out again in Denmark for a state visit from Turkey, and tiara intrigue came to Sweden when Princess Christina wore the Swedish Aquamarine Kokoshnik Tiara to an official dinner, bringing up questions about its ownership. Elsewhere, a state visit from China to the Netherlands brought out the pearls.

April
Tiaras returned to Belgium and Queen Mathilde again wore the bandeau of the Nine Provinces Tiara when the Chinese moved their state visit game over a country. King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia visited King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, and Máxima pulled together a pretty fab look with her favorite Dutch Diamond Bandeau.
Another of my favorite tiara moments came in April too, when the U.K. hosted an historic state visit from Ireland and the Queen used the occasion to bring the Cambridge emeralds back after a long absence.
And we must not forget, April also brought us what seemed like a genuine Tiara Miracle: Charlene finally wore her Ocean Tiara. For a magazine shoot, but we'll take what we can get.

May
May brought several tiara appearances: a look at the Diplomatic Corps reception in the Netherlands, new formal pictures marking Frederik and Mary's 10th wedding anniversary (again with the rubies), a state visit from Israel to Norway, and a state visit from Luxembourg to Poland.
 
June
Prince Albert visited the Netherlands, and there were tiaras even though Charlene stayed home. Plenty of state visits happened in June, including a trip to France for the British and the last state visit of King Juan Carlos' reign. The return of tiara banquets in Spain and Queen Sofia's use of the major Fleur de Lys Tiara as her farewell put this one on my list of best tiara moments for the year.

July

September
A state visit from Estonia to Norway brought us back to our tiara ways after the slow summer season.

October
Princess Noriko of Takamado kicked off the month donning her tiara for the last time as she bid farewell to the Imperial Family before her wedding. The Norwegians had two tiara events in a week, first with a state visit from India and second with their annual gala for parliament. (And in case you're counting, that adds up to a whole year of appearances of the Diamond Daisy Tiara for Mette-Marit, with no variety in sight.) A state visit from Singapore to Britain got thrown in the mix, and the month ended with dueling state visits: Felipe and Letizia hosting the first incoming state visit of Felipe's reign, and Willem-Alexander and Máxima traveling for a state visit to Japan. Máxima's debut outing of the Württemberg Ornate Pearl Tiara coupled with the return of Crown Princess Masako clock in jointly on my list of best tiara moments this year.

November
Amethysts and an excellent Elie Saab gown featured when Luxembourg hosted a state visit from Germany, but a dinner at the Swedish Royal Palace failed to wow me. Princess Margriet brought a tiara to America for the Stuyvesant Ball, wearing the star version of the Pearl Button Tiara for the first time, and a royal wedding in Morocco gave us a little sparkle variety.

December
The Duchess of Cornwall was resplendent in her family tiara for the Buckingham Palace Diplomatic Reception but obviously the main tiara event in December was and will always be the Nobel Prize Ceremony and the King's Dinner! Featuring the return of the Baden Fringe Tiara, another on my list of favorite tiara moments for the year.

Phew! Not a bad year, eh? (Remind me of that when we hit a tiara dead spot in 2015.) Now, over to you:

What were your favorite tiara moments in 2014?


Photos: Julian Parker/UK Press, Frank Van Beek/AFP, Pool all via Getty Images / RTE video / Hola / NewsJapan video / SVT video

Year in Review: 2014's Royal Happenings

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Now is the time when I look around and wonder when I forgot how to use a calendar, because once again the end of the year has snuck up on me. But here we are, with many of the royal families beginning to wind things down for Christmas holidays, and it is indeed time for our annual year in review posts. Today, a look at some of the year's main events.

I always look first for those events that bring together big groups of international royals, and as I tried to remember what happened this year (always a struggle), I had one thought: We have been so spoiled by the past few years. Seriously, 2013 capped a run of years packed with the kind of events - weddings! jubilees! inaugurations! - that bring us big fat royal gatherings. In comparison, 2014 has felt much quieter on the international royal front.

From the centenary of World War I to the 70th anniversary of D-Day (pictured above), this has been a year of remembrance. And when I thought back to occasions where royals from different countries came together, it was often for these memorials. So often a somber duty, but one they do particularly well.
 
Also tops on the list of Important Royal Events of 2014: King Juan Carlos abdicating in favor of his son Felipe, continuing the trend of throne swaps from 2013 and keeping us well stocked with introductory visits to chat about.

The past few years have been full of weddings, so I suppose it only follows that we are now in the years of BABIES. Prince George's first tour, Princess Leonore's birth and christening, twins for Monaco, a second baby on the way for the Cambridges, and more. Tiny humans, everywhere, running the show.

We did have a few weddings on our radar this year, though: in Monaco (well, actually in Switzerland, but you know what I mean), in Germany, in Japan, in Morocco. But the one that tops my list for Royal Wedding of the Year was that of Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este and Elisabetta (Lili) Maria Rosboch von Wolkenstein. Even in a sparse wedding year, we still get our share of Valentino couture gowns. And 2014 leaves us with the promise of at least one big royal event for 2015 in the nuptials of Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist.

Stay tuned in the coming days, as we revisit the year's tiara moments and some of our favorite looks from our regulars. Until then:

What was your favorite 2014 royal moment?

Photos: Samir Hussein/Wire Image via Getty Images, RTVE video, Anna-Lena Ahlström/Kungahuset.se, Elisabetta Villa via Getty Images 

Royal Closet Raid of the Day: December 12

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Congratulations are in order for the Monaco bunch! Prince Albert and Princess Charlene welcomed their twins on Wednesday. They'll be officially introduced to the people of Monaco on January 7. The announcement from the palace:
It is with immense joy that TT.SS.HH the Prince and Princess of Monaco have the great pleasure to announce the birth of Their children named:

 - Gabriella, Thérèse, Marie (born at 17h04)

 - Jacques, Honoré, Rainier (born at 17h06)

 The births took place on 10th December 2014 at the Maternity of the Princess Grace Hospital Monaco.
The Princess and the Children are doing well.

 The Prince Jacques, Honoré, Rainier is the Crown Prince. In accordance with the historic custom established by the treaty of Péronne (1641), He shall receive the title of Marquis of Baux (in Provence).
The Princess Gabriella, Thérèse, Marie, second child in the line of succession, shall receive the title of Countess of Carladès (in Auvergne).
Welcome to the world, Gabriella and Jacques! (I'm digging the names, by the way.)

In this particular corner of the world, we celebrate with fabulous outfits, and I've been saving up Charlene's day in the closet raiding spotlight for just such an occasion. Do you enjoy beige, hmm? How about black? Then it's your day in the spotlight too. As for me, I think you know what color I'm heading for.
I can still only echo what I originally said about this appearance: Char killed it. How could she not, in a dress so fab? I'd like to try it out for myself, so you can bag this one up for me.
Throw the gems in there too, pretty please.
On the Ralph Lauren runway. I approve of her color change.
Your turn: 
What are you coveting from Charlene's wardrobe?

One more piece of news from Monaco: Hello reports confirmation from an "insider" that Princess Caroline's son, Pierre Casiraghi, will wed his longtime love, Beatrice Borromeo, on April 20, 2015. We're still waiting to see if an official confirmation will be issued by the family.

P.S.: Yesterday's Nobel post was updated late with the second evening of festivities, so check back if you haven't already!

Photos: Michel Dufour/French Select and Pascal Le Segretain via Getty Images, Style.com

Royal Event of the Week: November 24

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National Day in Monaco was last week, so let's catch up with the Monaco Bunch (they're a lot like the Brady Bunch, but with more Chanel).

The day includes a cathedral service, a ceremony in the palace courtyard, a bit of waving from the balcony, and an evening gala. I genuinely loved Princess Caroline's outfit for the day events - an elegant Chanel blazer and dress, a bit of a hat, some fab hair. Princess Stephanie also looked pretty sleek in her simple coat, though her choice of a scrunchie instead of a hat (she never wears hats, but still) removes any and all coat bonus points.
Tatiana went for the nutty professor look in her Dolce & Gabbana coat and mortarboard-looking hat, but I kind of like it. Not that anyone was looking much in that direction given the debut National Day appearance of little Sacha and his little knees, clinging to dad Andrea and grandma Caroline.
Also present at the cathedral were Monaco residents the Duke and Duchess of Castro. She's prone to dramatic outfits and this one certainly does have some flair, but you know the purple is right up my alley.

Princess Charlene skipped out on most of the day's events and I can't blame her, those twins are due next month and if she wants to shuffle around the palace in her bunny slippers all the time right about now, more power to her. But she did make a beaming balcony appearance in an Akris double faced cape with a jaunty beret. (That's the smile of a woman who's still wearing her bunny slippers, fancy outfit and all, right?)
Also on the balcony, Caroline's daughter Princess Alexandra showed off her dress which is adorned with CROWNS and that is the BEST.
"Stephanie, look. Look at allllll those people who remembered to leave their scrunchies at home." I think Sacha's on my side here.

At the evening gala, we weren't at risk for scrunchie infection, but we did catch a serious case of ADLD. Another Dang Lace Dress. No fault of Tatiana's that we've seen so.very.many. of these in a row, so I'll just decide she wanted to confirm those reports of her second pregnancy and leave it at that.
Caroline can be trusted to be different, at least, and her repeated coat is the rare piece that works both as an evening coat and also with your favorite pair of bunny slippers. I'm all for it. I hope she shares with Charlene.
Caroline's Chanel coat, Tatiana's Dolce & Gabbana coat, Charlene's Akris cape (runway version)

Photos: Pascal Le Segretain via Getty Images, Style.com, My Theresa

Sunday Tidbits for November 9: Princes, Poppies, and a Programming Note

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First up, your programming note: I'm out for a couple days, so the blog will return on Wednesday! Until then, feast on these tidbits...

--The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall wrapped up their visit to Mexico this week, and I'm all ready to sign up for an architectural tour of Charles pointing at things. [Storify]

--Charles is all over it this week, including a spoof of a particularly awkward interview from his youth. Chaz the comic, coming to a club near you. [Telegraph]

--Hello is reporting that Andrea Casiraghi and Tatiana Santo Domingo are expecting their second child. This has been in the rumor mill for a while. [Hello]

--Queen Letizia has been stepping up her solo official trips since becoming queen. This week, she went to Portugal and wore a smashing red suit (love her in red, love it love it). She and Felipe will continue their introductory visits with day trips to Luxembourg and Belgium in the coming week, so stay tuned for that. [Diez Minutos]

--Stockholm's Royal Palace is getting a new paint color and people aren't happy. Nobody's ever happy when it comes to paint colors. [The Local]

--The Princess Royal was in Washington, D.C.! I thought the air on this side of the pond felt a little more disciplined this week. Her activities including opening an exhibit on the Magna Carta at the Library of Congress, getting her title misspelled, and attending a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. [Library of Congress, MSN Video, Washington Post]

--A uniformed Prince Harry took on the emotional job of opening the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey this year. [Express]

--Other British remembrance events have been covered over at the Jewel Vault - the Remembrance Festival was covered yesterday, and a post on the ceremony at the Cenotaph is up today. [Jewel Vault]

--And finally, here's a pictorial update for you on that incredible poppy installation at the Tower of London. [BBC]

Photos: Chris Jackson via Getty Images, @CasaReal, AFP Video

Royal Outfit of the Day: November 3

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So, this looks like wallpaper:
Charlotte Casiraghi attended the 2014 LACMA Art + Film Gala.
But, like, really excellent wallpaper. Like the kind that costs insane amounts of money, the kind that is art, the kind that needs to be on my walls right now.
But I'll settle for the dress form, that would work too.
It's Gucci, from the Spring 2015 RTW collection, originally seen on the runway in short form. I'm not completely sold on the trim, but it's sparkly, and that'll do. That gorgeous embroidery is going to steal my attention anyway. Sold.

Photos: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic and Jason Merritt via Getty Images, Style.com

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